Manna to Gall

o undertaking, however vast, has ever surpassed my courage, " professed Peter Paul Rubens, whose work comprised cathedral domes and altarpieces, portraits , landscapes, and designs for sculpture and architecture. Courage also drove his exuberant style of fl amboyant color and movement. " That Homer of painting, the father of warmth and enthusiasm in art, " said of him Eugene Delacroix, eclipsed most other artists, " Not because of his perfection in any one direction, but because of that hidden force―that life and spirit―which he put into everything he did. " Delacroix, who borrowed and absorbed much from him, wrote in his personal journal that his admiration was so great, he " cared to be Rubens. " He was described as of " tall stature, a stately bearing … rosy cheeks, chestnut brown hair, sparkling eyes but with passion restrained, a laughing air, gentle and courteous. " Known as " the Apelles of his age " and " the most learned painter in the world, " Rubens was hardworking; multilingual; a prodigious collector; and a fi ne diplomat, negotiating treaties all over Europe for more than 25 years. His friend the theologian Gaspar Scioppius wrote, " I know not what to praise most, his ability in painting, in which he attains the most exalted rank attained by any man of his century, or his knowledge of literature, his enlightened taste, and the all too rare agreement between his words and his deeds. " Rubens' career spanned a tumultuous age in Europe, fi lled with political, religious, and cultural developments, many of which he was able to infl uence. Shifting geographic borders and denominational allegiances often worked to his advantage as his diplomatic connections brought him royal commissions and generous court assignments. An age of contradictions, the 17th century saw in the sciences a move toward specifi c methods of inquiry, while the arts turned to an imaginative style. Bourgeois capitalism was on the rise, and the powerful of Europe were building exquisite palaces. Italian art was spreading everywhere, while Italy was losing its edge in international trade. This, known as the age of the Baroque, produced many great masters, among them Caravaggio; Bernini; and Rubens, who epitomized and defi ned it. A native of Siegen, Germany, Rubens lived and went to school in Antwerp, where he became a master. According to his nephew, he was soon " seized with a …